


The Most Beautiful Sound I've Ever Heard

by EWTP



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Crying, Depression, Eating Disorders, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grieving, Hearing Voices, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Nausea, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The Burning Maze (Trials of Apollo) Spoilers, The Tower of Nero (Trials of Apollo) Spoilers, Vomiting, Will Solace is a Good Boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWTP/pseuds/EWTP
Summary: Nico di Angelo- the bravest person Will's ever known- was falling apart.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 50
Kudos: 203





	1. Say It Loud and There's Music Playing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! What better way to start the year than to sit down and read a 10k chapter!
> 
> The details on Word tell me I've spent 39 hours on this Word Document, so... I put time into making this fic! I know a lot of you are eager for something following The Burning Maze and going into The Tower of Nero, so I took it upon myself to write just that. 
> 
> I had help from some requests I got on Tumblr, as I laid everything out in little snippets. You'll see once you get into it, but I hope this is everything you've wished for!
> 
> T/W: Heed the tags! Lots of heavy stuff in here.

_i._

Nico wasn’t… doing good.

That may have been the biggest understatement of all time, and it physically pained Will to say it. As much of a _positive person_ Will tried to be, he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him: Nico was killing himself, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

There was a circle of blackened grass around Cabin Thirteen, one so big it nearly encompassed the other cabins around it. The air was cold, so frigid that little icicles began to form on the porch and the dead blades of grass. Even the surrounding wood began to splinter, curling in on itself and rotting away day by day.

To anyone else, the sight might have scared them. It _did_ scare them, and it made Will unreasonably furious. He almost blew up on his own siblings when they shied away the first time they’d seen it, but he managed to swallow his rage down and dismiss their help without much fuss.

It wasn’t fear that kept everyone away, he knew. At first, it might have been, but after the news settled in and the sight was at least a bit more understandable, the apprehension set in.

Will could understand it. He tried to, at least, but everyone just decided it’d be best to give Nico his space- to not overwhelm him and let him grieve with the one person who knew him best; that person being Will.

Now _that_ , he could understand.

It had been just a week since Jason’s death, the day everything went horribly wrong. All the progress they’d been through, all the opening up and slow acceptance and carefully planned work- gone in a single moment.

Every minute of it was like torture…

He could barely stand to think about it- the image of a smiling Nico reduced to nothing but unintelligible sobs. All the happiness and slight snark that had slowly became part of Nico’s personality simply wiped away in a matter of seconds. Even the confidence to get a little giggle out of Nico- all of it was just… _gone._

He willed those thoughts away when Nico shifted in his arms, simply lolling his head to the side and sniffling into the quietness of the room.

Will had originally come to coax Nico out of bed and into the dining pavilion, or at the very least coax him into eating _something._ Instead, Nico pleaded for him to stay, to come and lay with him, even if it were for a few minutes. With his teary eyes and broken voice, how could Will refuse him?

Those few minutes had come and gone, and now they’d been cuddling on Nico’s bed for what felt like hours. The sun had disappeared, leaving them shrouded in nothing but the dimmed-out lights of Cabin Thirteen.

As nice as it was to spend the day with Nico in his arms, it was also becoming dangerously unhealthy.

Every day Will spent falling asleep with Nico meant another day of skipping meals. Nico was hardly eating breakfast or lunch- more like sleeping through breakfast and nibbling on a Kit Kat for the remainder of the day. It had been some time since Nico ate what could be considered a proper meal, and it was starting to worry Will.

Nico sniffled once more, which just squeezed at Will’s heart all over again. He slowly brought his hand up to Nico’s chin, tilting his head upwards and away from its spot on Will’s chest.

His face was completely splotchy, littered with both old and new tear tracks. That inky black hair fell all over Nico’s face, sticking to his damp skin and protruding every which way. It would have been endearing, had it not been the product of _days_ in bed, doing nothing but crying and feeling absolutely miserable.

Will wiped the tears away from Nico’s puffy undereye, his heart straining at the sight of the raw and red skin. It was almost nauseating looking at his boyfriend like this- so distraught and simply hopeless.

Nico didn’t deserve _any_ of this.

His heart just about broke when Nico’s lip began to wobble; when the tears began to pool in his glassy eyes and finally started rolling down his pouty cheeks. The sobs growing with every passing second certainly didn’t help…

Was it selfish to be thankful Nico had once again tucked his face away in Will’s chest? To thank the gods for having those cries be muffled in his shirt? Maybe, but Will honestly wouldn’t be able to keep it together if he had to stare right into Nico’s eyes as he cried.

And even if they were muffled, Will still had to listen to those pitiful sobs and sniffles. It was difficult to take in, but it was better than actually looking at how badly damaged Nico had become.

There wasn’t much he could offer whenever Nico lost himself in the grief, sobs wracking his body and shaking him to the core. All he could do was hold Nico in his arms, stroking through his very messy bedhead and hopefully providing some form of comfort.

Nico whimpered, the sound something so pitiful and sad that it made Will want to _scream_. He’d never heard something so… _heartbreaking_ coming from his boyfriend, not even when he stayed up and helped him through one of his nightmares.

Will held Nico close, closing his eyes and trying to drown out the sounds of misery.

In the past few days, Will desperately tried to get Nico to smile. He did everything- from craking incredibly corny jokes to whispering sweet things in his ear. When that didn’t work, he resorted to simply rubbing soothing circles down Nico’s back, holding his hand and slowly guiding him through the endless fits of pain.

Nothing ever worked, but Will could only hope…

As much as he wanted Nico to be as comfortable as possible, locking himself in his cabin for days one end just wasn’t _healthy_. He knew he had to get Nico out of bed- to practically put his foot down and force Nico to not give up, as unethical as it seemed.

_Eventually_ , he thought.

For now, they could sleep.

_ii._

“I didn’t know you could play the guitar,” Nico said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Will immediately smiled, his eyes flying up towards Nico and glistening with excitement.

Nico was talking. He was speaking, even if it were for just a second, and while it was only a short little thing- a mumbled and a very quiet string of words- it was a sentence, nonetheless.

They were out in the sun, away from the noisy campers and everyday activities. No freezing atmosphere or gloomy environment surrounded them- not that the Hades cabin was gloomy, but Nico could really do with some natural light.

So Will coaxed him out of his cabin, promising him an easy day under the sun. Nico was reluctant, but once he’d seen that they were heading straight towards the strawberry fields, he’d relaxed a little more.

While they didn’t do anything other than sit by the fields, Will came prepared for their easy morning outdoors. He’d packed a basket of fresh strawberries, and, since he’d had it out the night before, brought one of the many guitars Cabin Seven kept lying around.

“I never showed you?” Will asked, a little surprised he hadn’t picked up a guitar in Nico’s presence. Then again, he wasn’t that good at it, and wooing the boy of his dreams with a mediocre version of some song _wasn’t_ the best idea.

Said boy was just a few paces away from him, sitting crisscross on the ground with his arms loosely wrapped around himself. It was like he was trying to make himself as small as possible, which would have made Will coo, had Nico not looked so… _sad_.

Nico shook his head, his eyes shifting to the ground. He picked at the grass around him, and every now and then, it would start to wilt. Whenever that happened, Nico would jump, only causing the grass to wilt faster than before.

Will had to calm him down every time, distracting him from whatever thoughts began brewing in his mind.

“I know the basics of it, but that’s about it.” He strummed the guitar, listening to the gentle vibrations of each string. It eased his nerves, and he hoped it had the same effect on Nico.

Absentmindedly, Will started to hum. There was this one song Austin had been trying to memorize before… all of this, which resulted in endless nights and mornings of practice after practice. Kayla nearly throttled him at some point, but she would join him at times, grinning and singing even louder whenever Will would give them the stink eye.

He had to admit, the song _was_ kind of catchy…

At some point throughout the strumming and humming, Will had closed his eyes. He caught Austin doing that sometimes, losing himself in the music. For a son of Apollo, Will didn’t really understand how that could bring someone so much serenity, but with the gentle breeze and decent music, he could start to see the appeal.

When his fingers started to slow and the humming came to a stop, Will slowly opened his eyes.

Nico was staring at him, his impossibly dark eyes piercing right through Will’s. It made him falter, and a second later, he felt the telltale heat creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, moving to slip the guitar strap right off of his shoulders, “I know I’m not that good at it—”

“No.” Nico immediately replied, his voice and tone surprising Will. It was much firmer than before, but he was much more surprised by how confident Nico looked as he said it. He’d straightened up, his brows furrowing together ever so slightly as his lips twitched into a disapproving frown.

Unfortunately, Nico seemed to realize what he’d just done. He deflated not even a second later, his eyes flickering down to his lap as he reached for the little skull ring on his finger.

“I-I mean,” Nico stuttered, a tiny blush painting his cheeks as he slowly twisted the ring around his finger, “you’re not _bad_ ….”

That last bit was so faint and heartbreaking that Will almost got up and wrapped him in his arms. He would whisper sweet praise in his ears as he gently rocked them back and forth, maybe press a flutter of kisses to his puffy little cheeks and just gush over how _adorable_ an embarrassed Nico was…

He didn’t, though. As much as he wanted to, it wouldn’t be the best idea to smoother Nico.

So instead, Will offered him a gentle smile. “Thank you.”

They sat there for a bit, during which Will began to munch on some strawberries as they stared at each other. Well, Will was doing all the staring, but he couldn’t help it. After so long of looking at Nico through the darkness of his cabin, it was nice to see him out and about.

Will had to restrain himself from teasing Nico. All he wanted to do was see that fluster stick to his skin, to see that beautiful shade of red on Nico’s cheeks for just a bit longer. It was one of his favorite things to do before everything went downhill- before Nico was thrown into a relapse.

The strawberry in his mouth suddenly became all too sour.

After a moment of silence, Nico scooted closer, maneuvering the basket of strawberries between them over as he took its place. The path of wilting grass followed him through that short distance, and as Nico got closer, Will could feel the cold air nipping at his skin.

He suppressed a shiver as Nico settled right beside him, not necessarily touching, but close enough to feel the aura so many people attributed to children of Hades.

“Please,” Nico murmured, peeking up at him through his messy bangs, “can I hear another song?”

A genuine smile spread across his lips at that. Will was so, _so_ happy.

He picked the guitar back up and continued to strum song after song.

_iii._

Will woke with a start, dazedly blinking away the remnants of sleep.

He was on his side, staring at the wall. It was incredibly dark, and with a quick glance to the window, the sky was still pitch black. Will flopped back onto the bulky, warm comforters, closing his eyes and willing himself to fall back asleep.

By his guess, it was somewhere in the middle of the night. He was a child of the sun god, and everybody always made fun of them for being such morning people, but there was some truth to it. Will wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep so he could wake right up with the sun.

Though, before he could lull himself to sleep, a small little whimper filled the air.

_Nico_.

Will immediately sat up, remembering just where he was and why he was there.

Nico’s been having these _nightmares_ \- nightmares so terrible they ended in near disaster. They were like nothing Will had ever seen before, and things got so bad that they got to the point where Nico just stopped trying to sleep.

Of course, Will noticed. He tried to get Nico to rest, whether it be by having him stay in the infirmary or stay with him, cuddling under a pile of blankets and holding one another in their arms.

It didn’t work, and Nico would simply lay there with Will. Whenever Will did catch him with his eyes closed, it’d be nothing more than a short loss of consciousness due to exhaustion.

Eventually, Nico did start sleeping, but Will could tell it was for about an hour or two every night. The dark bags under his eyes had been finally lightening up, but now, they’d grown just as dark and unforgiving as before.

He looked exactly like he did nearly a year ago- the day they met under the threat of a Roman army destroying Camp Half-Blood.

“Nico.” He gently whispered, trying his best not to make any sudden movements. Startling Nico awake from an obvious nightmare was _not_ something he wanted to do.

But it was difficult, and as he shifted to face his boyfriend, Nico let out the saddest, most heartbreaking little noise that just pierced right through Will’s heart.

“Hey, Neeks,” Will felt his eyes begin to water, watching the way Nico stayed completely still as his face contorted into expressions of pure fear. “Nico, sweetie, I need you to listen to me.”

A little whimper was all he got in response, followed by a subtle twitch to his fingers. Will wouldn’t have noticed it had it been just two weeks ago, but those two weeks had forced him to look for any little detail in order to care for Nico.

He didn’t dare touch him, too afraid that his touch would trigger something far from comforting. Instead, he opted to simply talk to Nico in the calmest, most non-threatening voice he could muster. “I know you can hear me. It’s all a nightmare, Nico. It’s not real. You’re safe, you’re okay…”

And for a second, Nico grew limp. Will saved his sigh of relief, because as much as he wanted to believe Nico was safely out of his torment, he knew this was only a cruel tease of calamity.

Sure enough, Nico tensed beneath the covers, his hands curling into tight little fists and head thrashing from side to side. His brows furrowed together, and before Will could even blink, the temperature dropped _intensely_.

Shadows began to curl around the edge of the bed, lapping at the mattress and making their way towards Nico.

Will ignored it all- his main focus simply to get Nico out of whatever nightmare haunted him.

“Come back to me.” He pleaded, shivering when a particularly cold wave shot down his spine. “I know you can do it, Nico- you’re the bravest person I know. Come back to me…”

And it took a minute- a long and agonizing minute, but Nico finally jerked violently to the side, bumping straight into Will. It was like he had been jumping away from something, and that must have been the case, because the next thing he knew, Nico’s eyes were snapping wide open, darting around the room and looking for danger.

Will shushed Nico as a series of murmurs and garbled words slipped from his mouth, his hands flying every which way and nearly smacking Will in the face.

“Nico,” Will leaned away from his frantic moving, yearning so bad to take his hands and simply hold them in his grasp, but he knew it’d just make everything so much worse, “Nico, you’re safe. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

There was a pause, and the only thing bouncing off the walls was Nico’s deep breaths. “ _W-Will?_ ”

“Yeah,” Will swallowed down the lump in his throat. “It’s me.”

And the next thing he knew, Nico had thrown himself over Will’s body, his arms wrapping around Will’s neck and burying his face right in the crook of his neck.

Will brought his arms around Nico’s waist, holding him close and breathing into the fluffy hair at the back of Nico’s neck.

Nico felt so fragile in his arms, heavy sobs wracking his body as he gripped Will’s shirt- like it would disappear as soon as he would let go. Will assured him, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple as he ran a hand up and down Nico’s spine, hoping to provide at least a bit of comfort.

“Make it go away…” Nico whimpered, his fingers curling even tighter around the fabric. “ _Please…_ ”

Will gulped, his eyes drifting to the shadows curling around them. He had only a vague idea of what Nico was asking for, and he would have liked to ask exactly what he could do, but he didn’t have the heart to bring Nico’s thoughts back to whatever it was insisted on tormenting him.

The shadows were creeping closer, almost licking at their tangled legs beneath the sheets.

“ _Will!_ ”

Nico’s shrill plea snapped him into action, leading him to close his eyes and concentrate on pulling that small bit of sunshine right out of his core.

As much as everybody liked to joke about it, Will could very much glow.

As he opened his eyes, Will was met with a gentle golden glow lighting their surroundings. Everything became coated in this soft light, and as he looked down, Will could see his arms a bit better, the outlines of his body defined with the bit of sunshine radiating from his skin.

Will only discovered he could actually _glow_ just about two months ago, which had been a big shock to him. Nico had teased him, as did everybody else in his life, but it ended up being something Nico secretly loved.

Now, his glowy-self was able to chase the shadows away, leaving them there to hold each other through the night.

_iv._

When Will excused himself from the infirmary and made his way towards Cabin Thirteen, he didn’t expect to find dozens of skeletal hands protruding from the ground.

He didn’t expect to question the size of the nearly permanent circle of dead grass, nor did he expect to do a double-take on the amount of frost coating every square inch of the place, but…

Will had to admit, the sight of them made him a bit nervous. Nico was supposed to be resting, and as far as he knew, he was in his cabin trying to calm himself down from the dizzy spell that came over him just a few hours ago.

Will had asked if he wanted company, but Nico politely declined. He said he wanted some time to himself, and that’s just what Will gave him.

That didn’t mean he was okay with leaving Nico by himself. Nico somehow sensed this and assured him with a kiss on the cheek, murmuring a small _I’ll be_ _fine_.

So when the time came for Will to go check up on him, he didn’t know what to expect. Maybe a calming environment, and if he was lucky, he hoped to be met with a sleeping Nico, all peaceful and adorably wrapped up his fluffy comforters.

He _certainly_ didn’t expect to find Nico on the floor, gripping his hair in his hands as those blood-curdling screams tore through his lips.

Will rushed to him, careful not to slam the door behind him or make any sudden noise as he practically billowed through everything in his way, his one and only focus being his boyfriend on the other side of the room, curled into himself and shaking like a leaf.

Once he was kneeling in front of Nico, everything felt so much _worse_. The pure anguish rolling off of Nico’s cries was enough to tell him exactly what was happening.

“Nico…” Will called out, reaching for Nico’s hands as they violently tugged at his hair. He knew it wasn’t something he shouldn’t have done, but judging by the bloody crescent marks on his forearms, Nico was far too deep in this to notice if he hurt himself or not.

“ _No!_ ” Nico screamed, trying to tug his wrists free. Will felt a pang of regret when he didn’t immediately release them, pulling Nico’s arms away from his body and in between them.

“Nico—” He flinched away from the flailing arms, keeping them steady and ignoring the darkness seeping into his bones. “Nico, can you open your eyes for me?”

Nico shook his head, blurting out a jumble of words and desperately trying to push him away. Will felt _terrible,_ but it was for Nico’s own good.

“It’s just me, Sunshine.” He whispered, blinking away the tears in his eyes. “Please, listen to me…”

There was a pause in Nico’s struggle, but it lasted for just a second before he was thrashing around once more. This time, he tried to kick at Will, his breaths coming in short, gurgled jerks-

_Not again._

“Nico, you have to breathe,” Will prayed his voice stayed even, but he had to bite back a groan when Nico kneed him in the gut. He _really_ didn’t want to do it, but with the increasing danger Nico was putting them both in, he had no choice.

Will maneuvered them slightly to the right, gently laying Nico on the floor and pinning his wrists to either side of his head.

Nico renewed his struggle, blindly kicking and trashing against the restrain. It physically pained Will to do it, but once he saw the opportunity, he carefully climbed onto Nico’s legs, securely pressing them flat on the ground.

“Hey, we’re going to try the breathing exercise, okay?” Will mumbled into the air, ignoring the way one of his tears fell and splashed on the space right beside Nico’s head.

He _knew_ he shouldn’t be restraining Nico like this- and he knew he shouldn’t even be _touching_ him in this state, but when Nico couldn’t differentiate between danger and safety, he just couldn’t let him violently trash about.

Nico swallowed, the gesture nearly making him choke.

“I know you can hear me, honey,” Will cooed, even if it was far from the truth. “We have to slow your breathing down. I know you can do this. I know you have it in you.”

But Nico didn’t show any signs of having listened to him, his body continuously wiggling beneath him and chest heaving with the strain of taking much more oxygen in than necessary.

The worst part about it was that Will could feel every single development in Nico’s body- he could feel the effects of his short breaths, feel the rapid heartbeat pulsing beneath his fingertips and shadows looming over his mind.

All he could do was talk Nico through his panic attack, whispering reassurance and soft praise into the deadly cold air.

And when he finally went limp in his hold, Will could only caress the underside of Nico’s wrists.

_v._

“I’m so proud of you.” Will smiled, admiring the pretty pink that blossomed over Nico’s cheeks.

Nico, on the other hand, huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his hand flopping over itself at the minimal amount of movement.

“I just took _one_ bite…” Nico mumbled, his voice soft and impossible low.

Normally, Will would have had to lean in to catch one of Nico’s offhanded comments. He still had to do that most of the time, but seeing as Nico was still regaining some of the strength to simply _speak_ , Will counted every word that slipped out of those lips a win.

It helped that they were in the infirmary, tucked away in the far corner on one of the calmest days at camp. There was no unnecessary noise, no shouting or screams of pain- just him and Nico, enjoying one another's company.

“And I’m very proud of you for that.” Will cooed, patting the set of ankles on his lap. Nico only shot him another scowl, tapping him on the stomach with the side of his foot.

Before Will could make another remark that would surely earn him a kick to the side, Kayla burst through the privacy curtains. She held a few squares wrapped in aluminum foil in her hands, tossing one of them to Will before he could even process what was happening.

It landed safely in his hands, not before he fumbled it around with it for a good few seconds.

Kayla grinned. “Heads up.”

Will was _not_ impressed, to say the least. “Thanks.”

Just then, Austin stepped in right beside her, tossing him a can of soda. It would have smacked him square in the face, had he not been prepared to catch another flying object hurtling towards him at that point.

“You’re no fun,” Austin huffed, walking over to Nico’s side before placing a bottle of water right at his bedside table.

Will frowned.

“What?” He patted Will on the shoulder. “I don’t want a skeleton running after me.”

“And we like you a lot less.” Kayla chimed in.

“I’m your brother.”

They both looked at one another, shrugged, and looked back at him. “Tough luck.”

From behind him, he swore he could hear Nico stifle a giggle. When he turned around, an unimpressed look etched onto his features, Will was met with Nico’s upturned, twitching lips, pressed tight together so as to not let anything slip out.

For once, his heart squeezed in utter adoration.

He was glad they could banter around like this, glad it nearly made Nico smile. Even if the pokes were at Will’s expense, he’d gladly take the hits to his pride in order to hear that beautiful giggle.

It _almost_ made him forget about his annoying siblings.

Turning back to Kayla and Austin, Will frowned. “Out. Both of you.”

It only took them a long amount of time to leave, and after receiving a roll of the eyes and a suggestive wink, he and Nico were finally left to enjoy their lunch.

He couldn’t be too mad, considering the little comment Kayla had made left Nico with bright red cheeks. The sight was _very_ welcomed, and he couldn’t help but tease Nico a bit.

He stopped when Nico kicked him in the stomach.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence and munching on his sandwich, Will noticed how quiet Nico had grown.

He was just about finished with his lunch when he decided to look over, finding Nico staring right at his sandwich with about a hundred emotions dancing around his eyes. If he didn’t know any better, Will might have thought Nico was brooding- but he did know better, and he knew something was bothering his boyfriend.

Will was about to apologize for his previous teasing when Nico suddenly scoffed. “This is stupid…”

Will swallowed down the last of his lunch, raising a brow and turning his full attention towards Nico. “What is?”

That’s when Will noticed the sandwich still in his hold, a single bite bitten into it. It’d been around twenty minutes and Nico hadn’t taken another nibble since they started.

Unfortunately, Nico didn’t answer. He simply frowned at his food, uttering a small _nothing_ before taking a big bite out of his food.

Will was a little worried Nico was forcing himself to eat, which was only enforced by the sight of Nico practically shoveling the sandwich down his throat. He didn’t say anything, though, which was his first mistake.

His second mistake was leaving Nico alone, even if it were for such a short amount of time.

Really, Will excused himself to finish up the paperwork he’d left behind to eat with Nico, promising to be back in no more than an hour. After making sure he was okay on his own, Will set off to torture himself in the infirmary’s office.

The next thing he knew, Kayla was shouting for him, her footsteps coming in rapid succession before she jerked herself to a stop right at the doorway.

“It’s Nico!” She said, and that was all it took for him to scramble away from his work and run right after.

What he found nearly tore Will apart.

There, Nico sat on the floor, violently heaving into one of the on-hand sickness bags. His fingers were shaking, skin pale and a thin sheen of sweat coating his body.

Austin kneeled at his side, rubbing circles on his back and helping him hold the bag to his mouth. Needless to say, they wordlessly exchanged places as soon as they could.

“I’m sorry!” Kayla cried. “He asked me for some applesauce, but I didn’t think much of it! Right after that, he asked me for another sandwich, and I knew it was a bad idea, but w-we had an extra one, so I—”

“It’s fine,” He grunted out, willing his voice not to waver in front of either of them. “I need a towel, warm water, and some nectar.”

They nodded and scurried off, leaving Will with nothing to do but simply listen to the wet heaves and violent gags Nico let out.

The next few moments were like a blur, and the next thing he knew, he was tucking Nico into his previously abandoned cot, having long passed out in a fit of exhaustion.

After pressing a kiss to Nico’s forehead, Will wiped away his tears and followed Nico into sleep not too long after.

_vi._

Nico’s eating issues had grown worse than anybody initially realized, and for that, Will absolutely _hated_ himself…

He wasn’t entirely familiar with things concerning mental health. His specialties dealt with superficial wounds- Will knew exactly how to reattach a lost limb in less than ideal situations, but give him a physically stable patient with wavering mental activity, well…

Will could help, but only a bit.

After the incident in the infirmary, Nico refused to eat. He’d already been on bad terms with the idea of eating, and ever since he was hit with that awful wave of nausea, simply the idea of nibbling on anything made him cower away from the offending piece of food.

An eating disorder is what Nico had developed, and while they finally put a name to it after all this time, Will was pretty sure they both knew exactly what it was the very moment Nico first frowned at the idea of visiting the dining pavilion.

Will had _known_ , and he just… blocked the idea out.

Soon after he woke from his spell of exhaustion, Will immediately dug up the appropriate books from deep within the infirmary’s supply room. He grabbed a pile of them and took them right by Nico’s side, reading them throughout the night as he watched over Nico’s trembling form.

He was able to get a short recap of what happened once Nico woke up, which was just as heartbreaking as witnessing the whole thing.

Nico had forced himself to eat out of frustration- he didn’t understand why he couldn’t eat like _a normal person,_ so he just decided to put the hesitation away and eat. Since he hadn’t eaten for _days_ , he ended up taking much more than his stomach could handle. Even through the protesting aches his stomach gave, Nico shoveled the food right into his mouth and ended up puking it right back up.

That had been a few days ago, and now, Will knew exactly how to help his boyfriend.

They’d start with small portions, gradually easing their way into regular-sized meals. He’d have to put Nico on a diet, restricting his intake to easier, as well as smaller, foods. Eventually, Nico would be back to eating regularly.

The only problem was… well, Nico didn’t want to cooperate.

He was angry with himself, and he more than once reminded Will of this being somewhat normal to him. It made Will’s heart squeeze- and not in a good way.

Despite all this trouble, Will couldn’t help but smile at Nico’s grumpy little face.

They were sitting side by side, shoulders and thighs pressed together despite the empty sitting space all around them. It was nice, and Will just yearned to lean into Nico’s gentle touch, so that’s exactly what he did.

The campfire burned warm in front of them, tickling Will’s toes and heating his face. He was exceptionally happy that day- not only did he get Nico to leave his nest of blankets and join them at the campfire for the first time since the news, but Nico was _eating._

Granted, he was currently twirling a well-roasted marshmallow over the fire, but given the two crackers and generous piece of chocolate by his side, Nico fully intended on eating a s’more.

“Hey,” he gently nudged Nico’s shoulder, a smile making its way to his lips as Nico’s eyes flickered up to his. “I think that marshmallow is done.”

Just as their eyes went over to the marshmallow, a good chunk of it oozed into the fire.

“You know, not everything needs to be as dark as you.” He teased, eyeing the particular black spot on the underside of the white fluff.

A little _hmph_ was all Nico gave him, pulling his marshmallow in and resting his head right on Will’s shoulder.

Will was practically _radiating_ with happiness.

He helped Nico pick the blackened parts off, licking the gooey substance right off his fingers. Nico just scrunched up his nose at that, turning away from him with a barely-there smile as Will leaned down to press some gooey kisses to his cheek.

Nico pressed the marshmallow in between the two crackers, practically mesmerized by the chocolate immediately melting with the heat. As much as Nico loved chocolate, he solely stared at the oozing onto his fingers.

But, after a while, he brought the whole thing to his lips.

Will tried not to beam, but he _did_ wrap his arm around Nico’s waist, hooking his thumb right on the belt loop of his jeans and pulling him impossibly closer.

He heard a wolf-whistle, and when he looked up, Cecil was grinning at him from across the campfire. Lou Ellen was at his side, making kissy faces and giving him several thumbs up.

Will gave them a _very_ dry look.

When he turned back to Nico, his cheeks were tinted a light pink and his eyes averted to the ground. He didn’t know whether to thank or curse his friends, because while they were embarrassing, he did appreciate the sight of a shy Nico.

Just as Nico pulled the s’more away from his lips, a dot of chocolate was left behind. Will couldn’t resist but boop Nico on the nose, right where a smudge of chocolate sat. He brought it to his lips, winking and laughing at the look on Nico’s face.

Not only was Nico eating- or, nibbling on the snack- but he didn’t even flinch at the small chatter all around them. He didn’t shy away from Austin’s saxophone performance, nor did he curl up into himself when Cecil and Lou Ellen eventually came over, bantering and making a ruckus.

It was a step closer to some form of normality, and Will couldn’t help but press a kiss to the crown of Nico’s head.

He was _so_ proud…

_vii._

Will was a little worried.

Actually- he was _extremely_ worried. He hadn’t seen Nico for some time, and while this wasn’t particularly worrying, it did become quite alarming when he couldn’t find Nico _anywhere_.

He asked around, keeping things as subtle as he could. Everybody he went up to said they hadn’t seen Nico all day, which just served to make his nerves jump and gut churn in discomfort.

By the time Will had checked every cabin, looked in every crevice, and even swept through much of camp, he became understandably frantic.

Will tried to keep his worry down- he didn’t want to worry anybody, but it was getting a bit hard to keep himself blank-faced. Nico’s bed was ruffled around and felt just a bit warm, which told him Nico had been there that morning.

He knew Nico sometimes wanted some time alone, and Will tried his best to give him those moments. He just desperately wished he’d be given a heads up on _where_ exactly Nico would be spending his time at…

All he could do was wait for Nico to show up, so he went off to the infirmary and tried his best to function as normal.

It was only a little over an hour later that he heard a _thump!_ coming from the office, followed by a soft whimper and a familiar little groan.

Immediately, Will dropped the roll of bandages in his hands and hurried over to the back.

There, he found- “Nico!”

Nico was on the floor, his arms sprawled above him and cheek pressed into the wood. His hair was tousled, falling over his eyes and curling around his ears- and Will _really_ hated himself for thinking Nico looked beautiful at that moment.

He rushed over to Nico, taking his hand in his own and quickly peeking at Nico’s health. Sure enough, he felt the telltale signs of recent shadow travel, fatigue, and nausea.

“Nico,” he whispered, nudging at Nico’s side. “Hey, it’s me. It’s Will.”

Nico stirred, his lashes fluttering against his cheek before one of his eyes finally drew itself open.

“…Hm?” Was all he said- hummed, really- his fingers curling against the wood before falling limp once more.

Will swallowed, very gently rolling Nico to his side. He was very lethargic, his limbs serving as a dead-weight and making everything much more difficult than necessary.

“Okay…” Will mumbled to himself, holding Nico’s head in his hands. He tried not to look too worried when Nico’s eyes fluttered open, staring at him with a far-off gaze. “Can you stand up, sweetie?”

There was a pause, and Nico’s right leg subtly twitched just before it fell right back to the floor. With a pitiful whimper, Nico negatively hummed.

Will frowned, careful not to let his emotions show. He was a doctor, and at that moment, Nico was his patient.

“I’m going to lift you up, okay, sunshine?” He advised, mentally mapping out just how he was going to do this. Will was planning on doing something more professional, but when Nico raised his arms and made grabby motions towards him, he simply gave up on the professional mannerism and dove straight in for the embrace.

Nico immediately wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, burying his face into the fabric of Will’s scrubs while Will buried his nose right in Nico’s hair, taking a moment to smell that familiar rain against stone scent…

“My cabin…” Nico whimpered, his fingers playing along the back of Will’s neck. “Please.”

Will was a little hesitant to do so- Nico was in terrible shape, and everything he would need would be right at arm's reach if they stayed in the infirmary. But… well, Will wanted Nico to be as comfortable as possible.

So Will swooped him up in his arms, holding him by the back of the knees and grasping him around the waist.

It was endearing- carrying his boyfriend through camp was something so intimate, so _couple-like_ that it made Will grin like an idiot. Soon enough, he was tucking Nico into his bed, brushing the bangs away from his forehead and pressing a quick kiss to his pouty cheeks, all at Nico’s insistence.

Will ran around Cabin Thirteen, grabbing the large amounts of medical supplies he stashed around the place and dropping them on the bed beside Nico’s.

He took to fixing Nico a vial of unicorn draught, something to keep the shadows away from nipping at his insides. Ideally, he’d have to feed Nico a few vials to successfully keep the shadows at bay, but one was good enough to help him fight them off on his own.

There were a few cuts he sensed when he’d taken Nico’s hand, so Will grabbed some alcohol and bandages. Other than those cuts, some bruises, and the after-effects of shadow travel, Nico was, quote on quote, _good to go_.

So, it was time to find out _exactly_ what happened.

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned down at his _stubborn_ boyfriend, a sudden wave of agitation coming over him.

“Care to tell me what happened?” Will tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but he was sure it slipped out by the look on Nico’s face, who was still very drowsy but had the strength to sheepishly look up at him.

Nico shrugged, turning his face into the pillow and contently sighing.

“Nico.” Will put a little more force into his tone, bringing out the infamous doctor's voice Nico absolutely melted at. “What happened?”

Sure enough, a fresh blush blossomed over Nico’s face. It took him a moment, but when he did speak, it was nothing more than a plea to save the topic for another time- and an invitation for Will to crawl right into bed with him.

So he saved the authoritative crackdown for another day. Besides, he would _never_ miss out on an opportunity to cuddle with his little ball of sunshine.

_viii._

“Will,” Nico called, making Will pause with half a breakfast toast stuffed into his mouth.

Nico wasn’t at breakfast, which was one of the things that made Will raise a brow. It wasn’t so bad, because when he turned around and laid eyes on his boyfriend, it was like everything felt right in the world.

What _was_ a little more nerve-wracking was the look on Nico’s face- something complicated and hard to read. If he didn’t know Nico so well, he would have missed the twinge of vulnerability in his little guarded expression.

This was one of the few times Nico’s willingly stepped foot into the dining pavilion, as well as the very few times he spoke in something more than a whisper.

Will swallowed. “Yeah?”

For a second, the familiar wave of fear washed over Nico’s eyes as they scanned the dining pavilion. Will was aware of the eyes on them- how could he not? Everybody was worried about Nico, and seeing him march straight to breakfast all on his own was something of a breather.

Except for Will.

He could tell just how uncomfortable Nico was, and while he would have liked to scoot over and invite Nico to sit, he didn’t.

Instead, Will pushed his plate away and stood from his seat.

Nico’s gaze flickered down to the ground, his arms coming to wrap right around his waist. He looked so small and vulnerable that Will immediately felt the need to hide him from the world, but he had a feeling that’d be more embarrassing than simply anything going on at the moment.

“Let’s take this somewhere else, hm?” Will offered, trying very hard not to wrap Nico up in his arms right then and there.

Nico timidly nodded, and with a gentle smile, he went about guiding Nico out of breakfast with a comforting hand on his lower back.

They trotted right out of the dining pavilion, walking in silence and simply taking the morning scenery in.

Will was very tempted to take Nico on a date out in the city- maybe grab a pizza, go on a walk through Central Park, or even watch Nico’s childlike wonder come to life at the sight of Time Square…

In fact, he _did_ have something of sorts mapped out in his head. He’d even went so far as to ask for permission to leave camp borders for a whole day, and while his request was approved… it didn’t look like they’d get the chance to go on that date anytime soon.

After a few minutes of aimlessly wandering around, Will turned to his gloomy-looking boyfriend. “Where do you want to go?”

Nico slowly blinked, his eyes tentatively flickering up from the ground to stare off somewhere to their left. “Let’s go to the canoe lake.”

Will nodded, trying to suppress his surprise at the odd request. Nico barely spent time outside his cabin anymore, and while he did traverse out for short amounts of time, he would have thought something as important as what this seemed to be would be best taken care of in the safety of Cabin Thirteen.

Once they made their way to the empty lake, Will could see why Nico chose to visit the usually busy space.

Since it was early in the morning, the canoe lake was peacefully empty. There was nothing but the gentle stream of water lapping against the docked canoes and the occasional chirp of some birds, which, combined together, radiated a very calming scenery.

If Nico hadn’t been the one to bring them over there, Will would have eventually dragged him out for some time in the sun.

They ended up sitting at the end of one of the docks, Nico with his legs crossed and Will with his feet submerged in the cool water. So far, not a single word was said, but that was okay- he’d give Nico all the time in the world.

Eventually, Nico audibly swallowed, but before Will could offer him any type of support, he blurted out: “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Will had to take a minute to process what it was he’d been asked, but once it finally clicked, Will violently shook his head. “No. Not in a million years.”

Nico nodded, but Will could tell he didn’t entirely believe him.

It was heartbreaking, and not a second later, Will took Nico’s hand in his own, simply holding it in his palms and running his thumb over the back of Nico’s cold, frail hand. “Nico, you are _not_ crazy. Whatever makes you think so, it’s not true.”

“But…” Nico bit his lip, averting his gaze towards the trees. “But I _am_.”

“Nico—”

And just like that, Nico’s eyes snapped right to his. They looked so much like broken glass that Will could hardly keep the eye contact going, but he fiercely pushed through that feeling and continued to hold Nico’s hand, even when the darkness in him started to spark up.

After a moment of hesitation, Nico began to speak.

“I’ve been hearing these… these voices.” Nico looked about ready to bolt, but he held his ground and shakily explained what he could. “They follow me everywhere, but they’re worse in my dreams. I think… I think they’re from Tartarus.”

Will’s heart jumped right to his throat. “What makes you think that, sunshine?”

Nico whimpered, and Will almost told him it was okay if he didn’t want to answer, but the little twitch to Nico’s lips told him to hold on for just a moment. “Um, there's someone down there. Someone who helped me the first time I was there- and I… I left them.”

And as soon as Nico spoke those last few words, the tears started to roll down his cheeks. Needless to say, they left the conversation there.

_ix._

Will couldn't help but be _angry_ with the unconscious son of Hades, who he was currently tucking into the cot before him.

Yes, he was worried beyond belief- but knowing just _how_ Nico put himself in this condition made his blood boil like never before.

Not long after their little session at the canoe lake, Nico brought the idea of _going back to Tartarus_ up.

Now, Will liked to think he was reasonably freaked out over the whole thing, He’d immediately opposed everything that came out of Nico’s mouth in those few minutes, but eventually, he was able to see just how much this meant to Nico.

So he told him: Talk to Dionysus first. Figure out what’s real and what’s not. Then, if he has to go… they’ll go together.

It was a compromise he truthfully didn’t want to make, but he just couldn’t sit back and let Nico traverse right back into the deepest part of the Underworld all by himself. Will hadn’t seen the very aftermath of that first trip, but he’d heard enough of it to conclude that this tiny venture would be the one to well and truly break Nico di Angelo.

And only recently had Will discovered that Hades forbid any trips into Tartarus, which forced Nico to do some investigating for a different way in…

Which is when he met those disgusting, unreliable, and dangerous _troglodytes_.

Nico stirred, his brows drawing together and eyes fluttering against his plush cheeks. His nose scrunched up, and before Will could move so much as a muscle, Nico was woken from his long spell of unconsciousness.

“It’s okay,” Will dropped his scowl, the sweetness in his voice automatically returning, even if he were more annoyed than he’d like to admit.

“W- Where am I?” Nico nearly shot himself off the cot, rubbing at his bleary eyes and frantically blinking through the sleepy state.

Will immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, slowly coaxing him to lie back on the cot as he hummed a calming melody under his breath. “You’re in the infirmary, sweetie. Do you remember what happened?”

And it took a moment before the recognition filtered back to Nico’s eyes, those dark pools of brown staring right at him for what seemed like an eternity.

“Y- Yeah…” Nico paused, the unhealthy flush on his face receding just a bit. “I remember.”

“Good.” Will breathed, but before he could do much to calm himself down, he exploded. “Do you have any idea how worried I was!?”

Nico stared up at him, eyes wide and lips parted in a little gasp. “Will—”

“I let it slide the first time, but this is the _fourth_ time you’re in the infirmary for your trip to gods know where! And then I finally figure out that you’ve been shadow traveling to meet with these killer _monsters_ —"

“They’re not killer!”

“So you’re defending them now?” Will scoffed, nearly to the point of pulling his own hair out. “When were you going to tell me about this? You knew this was a bad idea, yet you still insist on meeting with these _troglodytes_ despite the obvious danger—"

“Will, I’m fine—”

“ _Fine?_ Have you even _seen_ yourself?” He gestured to Nico, his eyes focusing on the bandaged on his arms and his blood-shot eyes. “Every time you come back from one of those visits, you’re in horrible shape. You pass out for hours at a time, send yourself into near panic, and you can barely function after you finally decide to wake up.”

Will felt the venom seeping into his voice, visibly cringing as it jumped out of him. Will did his best to bite the following remarks down, instead choosing to pace back and forth and muttering under his breath.

He was sure if he had Nico’s powers, the entire room would be covered in blackened wood and tiny icicles.

“Calm down, please…” Nico whispered, and that’s when Will noticed Nico’s gaze focused on the ground as his arms trembled around himself. The sight was one he’d seen way too many times, and to _know_ he was the one to cause it made a heavy weight settle deep in his chest.

So, Will forced himself to calm down, taking a second to even out his breathing and forcing himself to stand still before he began to speak. “Alright. I’m good. I’m calm. I’m…”

And when he met Nico’s eyes, the fire in his chest began to burn anew.

Nico shifted, tucking his knees into his chest and simply staring at him with those big, impossibly adorable puppy-dog eyes. Really, there were too many things going through Will’s mind to have the important talk he wanted to have.

“You just- I—” Will narrowed his eyes, but he just couldn’t focus. Nothing was working, so instead of trying to pour his every little thought out of his mouth, Will deflated into a heap of raw emotions, something he hadn’t meant to ask slipping right between his lips. “Why won’t you let me in…”

Nico’s bottom lip was trembling, eyes glassy and blinking back tears. It _hurt,_ everything about that moment hurt, and Will just wanted to leave before anything else happened.

“ _Mi dispiace_ …” Nico turned away from him, and it was like they could no longer meet one another’s eyes. “I’m _sorry,_ Will, but I…”

And Will thought he would finally get an explanation, but it never came.

“I—” Nico choked, a wet sob escaping his lips. He started to shake his head, lowering it down to his knees and burying his face in the cot’s blanket. “I can’t. Not right now, please…”

Will felt his chest go numb, his fingers tingle and his sight blur all at the same time.

“Fine. Just… I need a minute.” And before Nico could say anything more, Will walked right out of the room and straight out of the infirmary.

He needed some time to himself, is all.

_x._

Will didn’t go back to the infirmary that day, nor the next.

Nico usually stayed in the infirmary for the night and following morning after he returned from wherever the Hades he disappeared off to- which Will now knew was somewhere underground, meeting with some blood-hungry cave dwellers in hopes of finding a quick way into Tartarus…

Gods know how long Nico was planning on keeping this from him, but Will only found out on accident. He had been watching over Nico’s unconscious form when the mumbling started, which just led on and on to some conversation he must have had with the troglodytes.

That conversation being one of a possible entrance to Tartarus.

Will had immediately stood from his chair and raced over to Cabin Thirteen. Nico mentioned writing something down in his unconscious murmurs, and sure enough, Will found a notebook filled with pages and pages of plans, random tidbits, and scribbled out sentences of failed ideas.

It had been a while since Will had ever been that _furious_.

Will didn’t read all of it- only a few words here and there. His dyslexia wasn’t terrible, but the mix of Ancient Greek, Italian, and English scribbles did _not_ bode well for his eyes, but the few things that he was able to read were enough to make him throw the notebook right back where he found it and march straight over to Nico’s side.

Looking back at it, Will knew he shouldn’t have snooped, but…everything Nico had said was more than a little concerning. Sure, Will was angry about being kept in the dark, but he was also… hurt.

They were supposed to be doing this _together_. They had a deal- and the fact that Nico was doing all this behind his back… it hurt more than anything Will could have imagined.

He hadn’t calmed down once Nico woke up. In fact, his emotions just seemed to intensify as soon as he was shut out once more.

It took both Kayla and Austin to smack some sense into him before he worked up the courage to face his boyfriend, and by the look of the scenery right in front of him, things weren’t going so well.

Distancing himself from Nico for over two days straight probably wasn’t the best idea, because once he opened the door to Cabin Thirteen, it was like a sense of utter misery came rolling out in thick, thick waves.

He found Nico huddled in the very corner of his cabin, blankets and clothes strewn around the room as the only source of light- the Greek fire- burned an ominous glow.

Nico looked almost _catatonic_ , his shoulders hunched in on himself as he sat in the corner. Everything about him was disheveled, and even the skin around his eyes was rubbed raw, those glassy little pools of brown shattered beyond repair.

He was looking down at his hands, shaking and flinching whenever they jerked with his full-body trembles.

It was almost like he was _scared_ of himself- terrified, even.

When Nico’s eyes landed on him, he flinched so hard he nearly smashed his head into the wall. Actually- he did just that, and Will cringed as the hard _thunk_ resonated throughout the room.

Will stepped into the cabin, suppressing the urge to shiver and immediately made his way over to Nico,

_“No!”_ Nico immediately screeched, holding his hand out while the other yanked at his hair. He babbled various pleas under his breath, some in English, and some in Italian. Nico only did that when he was _very_ upset.

“Nico.” Will swallowed the lump in his throat, raising both his hands to display his empty palms. In his experience, it was best to come off as gentle and nonthreatening as he can. “Nico, it’s me. It’s Will. You’re in Camp Half-Blood. You’re safe…”

It took a second, but the tremors in Nico’s body subsided ever so slightly. Once he pried one of his eyes open and his gaze once again landed on Will, Nico seemed to realize just who was there with him.

“W…Will?”

Will felt like crying.

“It’s me, baby.” He stepped closer, flinching as the wood creaked beneath his feet. “I’m not going to hurt you—”

And just as he was kneeling in front of him, Nico immediately moved to latch his arms around Will’s neck, burying his tear-streaked face right into Will’s chest.

Will, in turn, wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist, pressing him impossibly close and savoring his boyfriend’s touch, as cold and frail as it was.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—” Nico choked, his hands fisting the hem of Will’s shirt. “ _Per favore-_ please—”

“Hey, it’s okay…” Will gently shushed him, moving to slowly rock them back and forth. “It’s alright, sunshine. It’s—”

“No, it’s not!” Nico sobbed, the cries shaking his body. “You hate me! You’re going to leave me! I- I lied to you and now you’re going to _leave_ me!”

_Well,_ Will certainly felt like the biggest jerk in the world.

“Nobody wants me! Bianca- she _hated_ me! She left me as soon as she could, and- and even _death_ wasn’t enough! What did I do wrong, Will? What’s wrong with me? Why didn’t she want me?”

Then, Nico flinched.

“Bianca left me, _Jason_ left me, and now _you’re_ going to leave me! I can’t take it anymore, Will… I know I’m not good enough, but please don’t leave me… _per favore_ …”

And as Will felt the tears rolling down his own cheeks, nothing but _one_ thing ran across his mind.

“Hey, listen to me.” He gently tried to coax Nico from him, but he couldn’t quite get him right where he wanted to. Instead, Will opted to cup Nico’s cheek, holding him close as Nico refused to let his arms come loose. “I’ll never _leave_ you. I’ll never _hate_ you, not in a million years. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Nico di Angelo. You’re beautiful, you’re kind, you have the sweetest laugh and a smile so breathtaking it takes me a few minutes to remember what I was even _doing_ … 

“The Fates have done nothing but torture you, and you never deserved a single _second_ of it, sunshine. Nothing’s wrong with you, you never did anything wrong. You’re perfect just the way you are, and nothing will _ever_ change that.”

Will sucked in a breath, this familiar flash of heat pooling in his chest. It was strong, and it made him happy and sad and nervous all at the same time.

_Is it inappropriate to stare at his boyfriend’s lips? To wish he could just lean in a bit more and press their lips together…_

Nico paused, his cheeks coloring a pretty, rosy pink.

He was glad Nico had calmed down, but he didn’t know what was better- having Nico pressed to his chest or staring straight into those lovely, exhausted eyes.

He was still beautiful, but Nico just looked so, _so_ tired…

“You’re… not going to leave me…?” he asked, the confusion so genuine and raw that it nearly made Will let out a few sobs of his own.

Instead, Will cupped both of Nico’s cheeks in his hands, pressing their foreheads together once more and simply staring into his warm pools of brown.

“Of course not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did take the name of every title from West Side Story's _Maria._ I'm in love with musicals, and that song fits this couple so well! I can just imagine Will completely melting at anything Nico...
> 
> Not going to lie, I teared up writing this- especially the last bit. Nico's such a kind character, he doesn't deserve all this pain inflicted on him.
> 
> The next chapter has more fluff! Come [ask me anything](https://ewxtp.tumblr.com/ask) or simply have a chat with me on Tumblr! I'm very eager to see all the responses to this little project I've worked so long on!
> 
> _Posted: January 1, 2020._


	2. Say It Soft And It's Almost Like Praying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I sure took my time posting this second chapter, but it's finally here! Enjoy another 10k of everyone's favorite couple!
> 
> I have to say, I cannot believe I missed Nico's birthday the other day. I would have loved to pump something out, but school is already demanding my every ounce of time and effort, so we'll see when I get the chance to update something else (hopefully soon, for my sake)!

_i._

“What are you doing?”

Nico looked at him, his baby browns framed with the messy strands of his bangs and defined by the dark bags under his eyes.

His gaze was like an arrow right through Will’s heart, making it stop and start anew anytime he was under those piercing, lovely eyes.

And it was probably a little contradictory, but he always felt so alive and giddy whenever that metaphorical arrow went through his heart, sending a wave of all the good things rushing through his chest all at once.

But right now, along with the warmth flooding his insides… well, he was a little confused.

Will had just finished up a shift in the infirmary, having shuffled over to the supply room to put his things away before practically skipping out of the Big House, looking forward to a relaxing day in the sun.

In fact, he was on his way to see if Nico wanted to go out and sit by the beach, but the first surprise came when he didn’t need to travel very far to come across his boyfriend.

He found Nico simply wandering around under the shadows, his sword at his hip and a strawberry in his hand. He stared at it as he walked, and he didn’t even notice Will until he had called out to him.

“What do you mean?” Nico whispered, suddenly going stiff and shying away from Will’s presence.

Will frowned, mentally berating himself for startling Nico like that.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, sunshine.” Will padded closer. “I just didn’t expect to see you out here.”

Slowly, Nico relaxed. His shoulders receded back into a natural position as the slight crinkle in his forehead smoothed back into his skin. Very few things in life were as breathtaking as the tiny smile Nico offered him- which just stole his breath and left him gaping like an idiot.

“I just wanted some fresh air…” Nico said, turning back to look at the strawberry. He must have stopped by the strawberry fields- something Nico had been very careful about doing. He was always afraid they’d rot up whenever he stepped anywhere near them, but seeing him with a plump strawberry in his hands made Will smile all the more.

“I’m so proud of you, Nico- but, um, about that…” Will continued, his eyes trailing down to the second surprise of the day- the one that had made him so confused. “Where are your shoes?”

“My shoes?” Nico blinked, his head whipping down to the ground. When he was met with nothing but bare feet, Nico’s cheeks blossomed a bright red. “Ah, I- um—”

Will moved to join Nico, offering what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Hey, it’s okay. If you haven’t noticed, I walk around camp in flip-flops, like, ninety percent of the time. That’s practically walking around barefoot, so it’s no biggie.”

Still, he could tell Nico was very embarrassed. Once Will got close enough, Nico buried his face right in the crook of Will’s neck, practically wrapping himself around Will’s arm and hiding his flaming cheeks from the world.

“But that’s normal for you,” he mumbled, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric of Will’s shirt. “I’m not… that’s not normal for me.”

Will’s heart squeezed at the sad, gentle tone of Nico’s voice. He couldn’t wrap his head around why this was such a big deal, but that didn’t matter. If Nico was this uncomfortable, Will would do anything in his power to make the discomfort go away.

“Nico…” he gently coaxed Nico from him, holding those frail shoulders in his hands. As he stared into Nico’s eyes, he could hardly hold in his need to shake the boy in his arms and make him see how amazing he was.

But… that wouldn’t be the best thing to do.

“Nico, it’s _okay_. Nobody is going to look at you and bat an eye. It’s getting hot, which is the perfect time to start wearing lighter clothes.” He gestured down to his shorts, just for emphasis. “That _includes_ shoes.”

Still, Nico didn’t look convinced.

“I did mean to put them on, but…” He bit his lip, looking away from Will as his arms dejectedly fell to his sides. “I guess I just forgot.”

Will frowned, his own brows furrowing as he stared at his boyfriend. He didn’t know how to make this any better, and while he did find it just a tad bit amusing, he knew this wasn’t the time to tease.

Though, inside, he was ecstatic. If Nico really did forget to put on his shoes when he left his cabin, that means he’s comfortable enough to not view camp as some sort of _professional_ place. He didn’t see it as somewhere he had to dress or act a certain way- and maybe, just maybe, he views it as a home.

Quite a few things were running through Will’s mind, but at that moment, he had something he wanted to try…

Will leaned down, untying the laces of his shoes and kicking them right off his feet, much to Nico’s confusion.

“What are you doing?” He asked, but Will only leaned slightly upwards, taking the strawberry in Nico’s fingers between his teeth and taking a sizable chunk of it into his mouth.

Nico flushed, but Will just hummed at the sweet taste on his tongue, offering Nico a cheery smile. “It’s about time I break the flip-flops out, isn’t it?”

Still, Nico looked about as confused as ever. “We’re in the middle of camp.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have your shoes on.”

“Neither do you, sunshine.” He winked, toeing his socks off and kicking them over to where he last left his shoes. “It’s been a while since I last felt the grass underneath my feet. Now that it isn’t freezing, I think it’s about time we go out for a walk around camp.”

And as Will led them away from the tree’s shadows, Nico dazedly blinked at him, then back to where they were previously standing.

“But- you’re shoes—”

“I’ll come back for them.” Will grinned, wrapping his arm right around Nico’s shoulders. “Let’s go get some more strawberries, hm? They’re really good this time of the year.”

_ii._

Admittedly, being this excited over a few movies _might_ have been a bit much.

Will decided to ignore that little voice at the back of his mind in favor of going all out for their very fun, very awaited upon date night.

He had to pull some strings and promise to do more chores than he’d like to get Chiron to let them skip out of their classes for the day, use the bulky TV he kept stowed away in the Big House basement, and grab a grab bunch of snacks to take with them.

Well, the last one was all thanks to Cecil. Will also wasn’t looking forward to taking his place in cleaning the stables the very next day, but… it was all a very small price to pay in order to expose Nico to the greatest set of movies _ever_ made.

Speaking of Nico- his boyfriend was currently sitting in front of the television, situated quite comfortably atop a pillow and inspecting the DVD in his hands with such an intense look of concentration that Will almost burst into a fit of laughter when he first saw him.

Nico seemed to notice, as he shot Will a severely unimpressed look.

“Don’t mind me,” Will grinned, leaning against the door frame. “I’m just enjoying the view.”

Sure enough, Nico ducked behind the television. He was very glad Nico was regaining some of the healthy glow to his skin- if only for the fact that he could replace that translucent, icky tint with a beautiful red flush.

He kept his gaze on Nico for a few more seconds, sitting in his own smugness before he eventually made his way over to Nico’s side.

“So, are you ready for a movie night?” He rounded the TV stand, finding Nico still staring at the DVD in his hands. This time, though, he was looking intently at the cover art. “Looks interesting, doesn’t it?”

Nico tilted his head. “It looks… strange.”

“You’ll get used to the art. It’s kind of the new big thing for action movies.”

And while Nico was getting better at speaking once more, a full, random conversation such as this one was still very rare. He was making amazing progress, but for now, they managed with lots of gestures.

So when Nico raised a brow, Will immediately knew what he was trying to convey.

“I did say they were sci-fi movies, but there’s a bit of action in them.” Will paused. “A lot of action, actually. They’re the best movies ever- you’ll see.”

Nico offered him a tiny smile, which was all Will needed to plop down right beside him and press the _eject_ button on the DVD player.

At Nico’s amazed and confused little expression, Will laughed. “I know you’ve got some questions, Neeks. I’ll answer each and every one of them.”

There was a _hmph_ before Nico crossed his arms, the blush seeping back into his cheeks. Will couldn’t help but press a sweet kiss to those puffy cheeks.

“I just… we’re going to watch a movie from _that_?” He eyed the disk Will plucked from his fingers, furrowing his brow as Will placed it in the tray.

“Technology went crazy in the 21st century.” Will searched for the remote, clicking through the menu for some time. “These DVD’s are kind of old since Chiron likes to keep things old fashioned. I think this is one of the last TV’s with a DVD played on Long Island, if I’m being honest.”

Nico slowly nodded. “And, um… how many are we watching? I know you said there are three, but are we watching them all today?”

Will could barely keep the bright smile from blossoming on his face. “We’ll have to see. There’s a lot of them, but for now, we’re starting with the prequels, which consist of three episodes, then we’re going to watch the original trilogy—”

“Why are we watching the prequels first?” Nico asked, his eyes widening at the movie’s menu screen. There was this giddy glint forming in his eyes, which just made Will giddy all over again.

“Well, chronologically, the prequels come first. They’re called the prequels because they were made _after_ the original trilogy, but the story begins with the prequels.”

Nico’s nose crinkled up.

“It’s confusing, I know.” He set the remote down, taking Nico’s hand and leading him away from the television. “You’ll get it after we watch them.”

So he fitted Nico beside all the snacks he got- snacks they were going to have to hide from Chiron later, but at that moment, they were all out on display. Will was too excited to care about that, or even the immense health problems all those sweets would cause.

After running off to turn the lights off and positioning the TV at the perfect angle, Will settled down next to Nico, barely able to keep his wiggles in check.

Nico noticed this and gently nudged him at the side.

“You’re really excited.” He noted, snuggling ever so closer to Will’s chest. The motion only served to make his chest swell with a flurry of adoration.

“I used to watch them all the time with my friends back home.” Will grinned, wrapping an arm right around Nico’s waist and practically pulling him atop his lap.

Nico flushed.

“We’d get together on Fridays after school- but not before stocking up for the night. My mom would make these really good lemon bars for all of us, and I always wanted to help, but she says I’d manage to burn the place down, which… probably isn’t an exaggeration. I’m not that good when it comes to cooking. This one time, I…”

All too late, Will realized he was babbling. He blinked, glancing downward to find Nico munching on a Hershey’s bar, watching him with clear amusement in his eyes.

Will waved him off. “Actually, that’s a story for another time. Let’s just get into the best two hours of your life, _young padawan_.”

_iii._

Nico wouldn’t say it, but Will _knew_.

Really, with everything Nico’s been through, nobody could fault him for being scared of his own element. He flinched whenever the lights would suddenly go out, whimpered whenever he was left alone in the late night at the infirmary, and became utterly terrified whenever he woke from a nightmare and was met with nothing but the inky darkness of the night.

Will’s held him through a lot of night terrors and comforted him through the aftermath of those awful dreams, and through every one of those moments, Will was ever so grateful for the useless gift his dad passed on to him.

That gift was his, as Nico liked to call it, _glow in the dark_ feature.

He helped Nico through the various night terrors he was forced to experience with lots of cuddles and sweet whispers, but recently, they didn’t seem to work as well as they used to. Everything he tried was fruitless, but once he let the gentle glow loose from inside him, Nico relaxed.

It would always start with a stiff embrace, which would then turn into Nico melting in his arms and letting everything out.

He was terrified of the dark- terrified of the shadows that engulfed him and wanted nothing more than to draw him into their arms.

As long as Will was breathing, he would never let anything happen to his boyfriend.

Will knocked on Nico’s door, looking down at the plastic bag in his hands. Pale, translucent little shapes stared back at him, a mixture of stars, planets, and a big, crescent moon.

In his other hand, a bulky nightlight pressed against his palm.

It was in the shape of a sun, and once it was switched on, it would emit a similar light to Will’s golden glow. The sun was complete with soft flares protruding from its circular base and a wide smile painted right in the center of it all.

He _really_ hoped the little gifts helped Nico.

After a faint _come in_ came from inside Cabin Thirteen, Will let a wide smile of his own slip onto his lips, carefully turning the handle and stuffing the two things behind his back.

“Hey, sweetie.” Will felt a surge of pride rushing through his veins when Nico’s cheeks reddened, though he held the teasing off for just a moment.

He found Nico laying on his stomach, kicking his feet up in the air as he rested his plush cheek on the palm of his hand. In front of him was a picture book- one filled with beautiful scenery that calmed him down and soothed him from the minor bouts of anxiousness that took over Nico’s mind every now and then.

Hopefully, his little gifts would help with that.

“I got you something.” Will cooed, gently kicking the door closed behind him and striding over to Nico’s tiny form.

Nico raised a brow, closing his book and sitting up in one swift movement. He stowed the book away at his nightstand and curiously leaned forward, his eyes narrowing at Will’s show of secrecy.

He was a very curious person, as Will had come to learn.

Right as Nico took some time to gather himself, he gently tilted his head to the side. “What is it?”

Will grinned, twisting his body to keep the gifts hidden behind his back as he moved across the room. Once he was right in front of Nico’s searching eyes, he settled beside him with nothing more than an excited pull to his heart.

“Hold your hands out and close your eyes,” Will instructed, completely ready to hear a protest. Instead, Nico huffed and did as told, which nearly made Will coo at the angelic look that grazed his boyfriend’s face.

He held off on that thought, instead moving to place the nightlight on the palm of Nico’s outstretched hands.

Nico’s eyes fluttered open, his fingers immediately curling around the sun and moving to inspect just what Will was so excited about.

“It’s a nightlight.” Will offered, seeing the questioning look in his eyes. “Usually, you stick them in an outlet, but since we don’t have those here, this one is battery powered. Just press that button and it’ll light right up.”

Will watched for a moment as Nico did just that, his eyes widening as the sun churned to life. It was like watching a child grow giddy over something they loved, something so beautiful and heartwarming that Will almost forgot about his second little present.

“I’ve got one more gift for you, Neeks.” He said, pulling out the bag of stars from behind him. “These are glow in the dark stickers. They’re just like nightlights, only more subtle. We can stick them to the ceiling, and they’ll glow whenever the lights are out.”

Nico blinked, taking the bag in his hands and inspecting the various shapes it held.

When Nico failed to say anything, Will slowly scooted closer, happy to feel the slight dip in the bed where Nico sat. “I figured you’d like having them, especially for those nights I’m not able to be here with you. “

And when Nico _still_ hadn’t said anything, a slow shower of nervousness passed through Will’s heart.

Will bit his lip. “They aren’t much, but—”

Suddenly, there was a comfortable warmth settled atop his body, and once he got over the surprise of it all, he could make out the comforting scent Nico carried around with him assaulting his senses.

Nico’s arms were settled around his neck, his cold little nose pressed right against his collarbone as he nuzzled impossibly close- so close that Nico was nearly settled on Will’s lap, making a fresh wave of heat surge up to his cheeks.

“Thank you,” Nico whispered, pulling back just enough for Will to catch those glistening eyes in his, the ghost of a very tiny smile playing on Nico’s lips.

Soon enough, they spent the remainder of the day sticking the entire night’s sky onto Cabin Thirteen’s ceiling.

_iv._

Kayla had a shift in the infirmary- one which she currently _wasn’t_ present for.

Will had only stepped into the infirmary for just a second, looking for something before he noticed the empty office. One quick sweep of the area was enough for him to take note of her complete absence from the Big House.

The first place he thought to look in was at the archery range. Nine out of ten times, Kayla was sure to be in there- even if she could hit a center shot with one hand tied behind her back and eyes shut closed, she still claimed she needed practice.

If he didn’t know about her dreams of entering the Olympics, he’d say she was just doing it to show off.

So, to say he was fairly surprised when Kayla Knowles was nowhere to be found in the archery range would be an understatement.

His slight suspicion was turning into concern when he couldn’t find his sister anywhere at camp. He decided to ask Austin if he’s seen her, but now that he’s swept through the entirety of camp, Will noticed he also wasn’t anywhere to be found, either.

It wasn’t his proudest moment, but Will noticed, after all his frantic searching, that he had neglected to check their own cabin.

He frowned, muttering to himself the entire way there.

The sun bouncing off Cabin Seven was almost taunting- blinding him every time he looked in its direction. How could he forget about such an obnoxious building?

Once he heard the telltale sounds of laughter ringing from behind the door, Will knew he found just who had him running around for the entire day.

Will was about to walk straight through the door when he paused.

Other than Kayla’s cackles, two more voices were pouring from inside the Apollo cabin. One of them was undoubtedly Austin’s, which was busy spouting protests about something that left Will more than a bit confused, but the other voice…

It belonged to Nico, no doubt about it. He would always be able to recognize that beautiful, _beautiful_ sound- especially when it was laced with excitement, the twinge of an accent evident on his pouty lips…

_Don’t think about his lips._

Another one of Kayla’s snort stirred him from his thoughts, bringing him out of his little stupor and reminding him of the doorknob still in his hold.

Will blinked, his hand falling from the cool knob as he took a step back. It sounded like they were having the time of their lives in there, and Will wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to intrude on that.

Especially when he could practically _see_ how animatedly Nico was speaking just from the tone of his voice.

While Will prided himself for not being nosy, he couldn’t help but lean towards the window, taking a peek through the blinds and quelling his curiosity with a quick look.

There, all three of them sat in a circle, Nico with his back to him and Kayla and Austin to either of his sides. In front of them was a stack of cards, and now that he looked, he could see they each held a hand of their own intricate cards.

Austin was looking at Nico with narrowed eyes while Kayla leaned backward, clutching her stomach as her laughs pierced the air. Nico, on the other hand…

He looked good.

Nico wasn’t doing much, simply holding his cards close to his body and leaning over to the pile at the center, pointing at this and that and seemingly explaining something to Austin, who was still warily staring at Nico.

He caught Kayla’s eye for just a moment, and she simply shot him a wink before moving to dramatically place her own card down atop the growing pile before them.

Will frowned, but decided to move about his day. Despite the little dispute, they truly looked like they were having fun, and he didn’t really mind covering Kayla’s shift for the day. It gave him something to do, at least.

When he eventually came back a few hours later, it was nearly curfew. He was turning in for the night, and to his mild surprise, Will found all three of them right where he’d last seen them- splayed on the floor and propped against the far wall with a few pillows supporting their backs and a single blanket spread between the three of them.

“I see you three had fun today.” He toed off his shoes, shooting Kayla a pointed look.

She shot her own right back at him, but not before raising a finger up to her lips. “Shut up, would you? You’re going to wake your boyfriend.”

And that’s when he noticed Nico leaning heavily against her shoulder, his bangs flopping before his eyes and casting shadows across his peaceful, angelic face.

Will smiled.

“Dude, you’ve got it _bad_ ,” Austin spoke up, his grin flying into view as he sat himself up from his spot between their thighs. Will shot him another look, but he couldn’t help the rising heat to his cheeks.

“What were you guys doing, anyway?” he asked, moving further into the very domestic and very sickly-sweet scene.

“Well, Nico came in here looking for you, but since you were out being you, we invited him to come hang with us for a while.”

Austin frowned. “Then Kayla asked him to bring over his Mythomagic cards- and let me just say, Nico is a _beast_ when it comes to that game.”

“Austin’s just mad he didn’t understand what was going on.” She held out her hand, effectively silencing Austin from saying what he was about to say. “Eventually, we got some cookies, settled down, and just started talking about stuff.”

“Until Nico fell asleep.” Austin pointed to Nico. “Heavy sleeper, by the way. Even Kayla’s _dying hyena_ laughs couldn’t wake him.”

Kayla kicked at Austin’s leg.

“Well, I should probably take him now.” Will crept closer, gently worming a hand under Nico’s knees and around his waist. “He’s going to get a stiff neck if he sleeps there all night.”

Will immediately scooped him up, pleasantly surprised to find him already in comfy clothes. That was good- for many reasons, some of which Will was _not_ going to think about.

He ignored Kayla and Austin’s snickers as he gently placed Nico on his bed, and as he was settling him under his covers, praying for the nightmares to leave his boyfriend alone for j _ust once_ , he suddenly felt his throat closing up.

“Hey, guys…” Will paused, tucking a strand of hair behind Nico’s ear. “Thanks for hanging out with him.”

_For distracting him from his thoughts_ , he wanted to say.

Austin grinned, startling him by giving him a few nudges right on the ribs. “Anything for the honorary Apollo kid.”

_v._

Will made his way to the Big House, but for once, it wasn’t to give himself gray hairs over at the infirmary.

This time, it was to meet his boyfriend somewhere quiet and private.

While Nico now sat with Mr. D for all three mealtimes, they also set aside two hours every Saturday for a more _formal_ session- away from the noise and in the privacy of some room in the Big House.

These sessions were also a little more… emotionally heavy. Unlike their shared meals together, this time with Mr. D left Nico drained. He’d come out of them mutely, with red, puffy eyes and broken whimpers spilling from his lips.

He needed a lot of comfort after them- and that’s where Will came in.

Nico was due out of his little session with Mr. D in about five minutes, which gave him just enough time to swing by the dining pavilion and snag Nico some chocolate milk and a chocolate chip cookie.

Nico loved chocolate, and Will tried to get him to eat something every time he got out of these private weekly sessions in the Big House- with no success, so far.

He still tried, though.

Will made his way through the Big House and plopped himself on the plush sofa, setting the things down on the side table and turning the dim lamp on. Nico liked the cozy feel it gave the room, so Will took to making the entire place as comfy for him as possible, which included adding a fluffy blanket, a plushie resembling Mrs. O’Leary, and a little fidgeting trinket Harley was nice enough to make.

All those things were helpful, he could tell. With each passing session, Nico spent less time staring blankly at the wall- he would even gradually begin to speak more, which just made Will’s heart flutter happily in his chest.

Before he could dwell on just how proud he was of his boyfriend, a door swung open out in the hallway.

Will’s head swiveled over to the doorway, and after a moment, Nico popped into the room. His hair was tousled and faint tear tracks were running down his cheeks, but other than that, Will couldn’t see much else.

Nico kept his head down, his eyes refusing to rise from the ground. Even if he couldn’t possibly see where he was going, Nico’s movements automatically took him to the open space right beside Will.

Not far behind him, Mr. D appeared, leaning against the doorway with his usual scowl in place.

Mr. D gripped the doorknob and looked around the room. He met Will’s eyes, shooting him a frown before he turned back around, bringing the door to a slight close while also leaving it open just a hair. 

They had to keep the door open because… _standard camp rules_ , as Chiron had put it, but that didn’t matter. They made it work.

“Hey there,” Will gently began, a small smile making its way to his lips as Nico wormed his way beneath his arm. “I brought you some cookies and milk.”

Nico hummed, his arms wrapping around Will’s waist and head tucking directly under Will’s chin.

Will wrapped his arms around him, taking the silence with a grain of salt. It often took Nico a while to speak after these intense sessions, but that was okay. Will didn’t want to pressure him into anything.

Instead, he ran his fingers right through Nico’s dark, soft locks of hair.

With his other hand, Will intertwined their fingers together, setting their joint hands on Will’s blanket-clad lap.

Since Nico didn’t have the strength to do more than seek comfort in Will’s arm, Will would take to asking Nico a few questions- simple things to make sure he was doing everything he could to offer his boyfriend the comfort he deserved.

And he always asked the same two questions to begin with.

“Are you alright, Neeks?”

One squeeze to their hands- a _no_.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Nico didn’t immediately answer, but it wasn’t anything Will was unfamiliar with. Sometimes, Nico just needed some time to think things through.

Except, he was pleasantly surprised when Nico’s meek little voice filled the air. “Can you, um… can you just talk to me?”

Nico snuggled closer, burying himself right against Will’s collarbone.

“I mean, I don’t want to talk about it, but… can you distract me?”

And Will couldn’t hide the bright smile spreading across his lips even if he tried. “Sure. I do know how to talk, as I’ve been told.”

After shifting themselves so Will was lying on his back, Nico settled atop of him, Will resumed running his fingers all throughout Nico’s scalp.

“I miss sitting with you, you know?” Will nuzzled his cheek against the top of Nico’s head. “I can only tolerate Kayla and Austin for so long. Holding your hand under the table was a nice plus, by the way.”

He grinned to himself, just picturing the blush coating Nico’s cheeks at that comment. That suspicion was practically confirmed when Nico buried his face deeper into the crook of Will’s neck.

Will couldn’t help but call him out for it.

“Are you blushing, sunshine? Have I ever told you how cute you look when you blush? Actually, you always look cute. You have a cute face. Your eyes are cute, your little nose is cute, and your lips…”

And as Nico hid his flaming face into Will’s chest, he continued to mumble nothing but praise into the softness of Nico’s hair.

_vi._

It didn’t take long at all to convince Nico to leave his cabin, and even if it didn’t seem like much, it meant the world to Will.

Not only because Nico was gradually overcoming the apprehension to leave his cozy and familiar bed, but because he had agreed to join Will on a nice, relaxing canoe ride.

Or… canoe date.

At least, Will wanted to call it a date- but he didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on Nico. Dates came with fluttering stomachs and sweaty palms, and those were some things Nico did _not_ need right now.

Will found himself smiling, nonetheless. He was looking forward to a nice afternoon in the sun, doing nothing in particular with his favorite person in the entire world.

Said favorite person was currently leaning against the side of the canoe, watching the water ripple beneath his fingers as Will rowed them to the middle of the lake. They spent a lot of time out there, but every time they trekked back to the canoe lake, it was like a whole new adventure.

Once he stationed the canoe, Nico immediately came to his side.

“Someone’s cuddly.” Will teased, which earned him a little frown. Either way, Nico scooted ever so closer, their thighs brushing against each other at the slightest shift.

Will had packed some food- some light things, really. Crackers, applesauce, bananas… things that almost certainly wouldn’t upset Nico’s stomach.

Nico settled for drinking one of the milkshakes he packed, occasionally picking through the crackers Will popped open as they spent the next few moments in comfortable silence.

Just as Nico swirled the straw in his little carton box, he softly breathed. “Will?”

“Hm?”

“I’m… worried.” Nico bit his lip. “The voices are getting louder. I can’t stop them. I just need to get to Tartarus—”

“Hey.” Will took his hand. “Not yet, okay? You’re working with Mr. D, and he’s… oddly enough, the best person to go to for this. I promise you’ll figure it out, and if you still feel like you need to go… I’ll tell you over and over again: _I’m coming with you_.”

Nico shook his head. “But if I go _now_ , maybe I can fix this. Maybe I can finally go back to normal—"

“You _are_ normal.” Will placed his stack of crackers aside, maneuvering himself so that he was face-to-face with Nico. It was a little hard, considering the cramped space, but he ignored the slight jab of wood at his lower back as he cupped Nico’s cheeks in both his hands. “Listen to me, Nico- you’re _recovering_. What you went through- nobody should have to go through that, but the Fates are just cruel.

“You survived everything they threw at you, and now you’re recovering from that trauma. It takes time, Nico, and I know you think it’s frustrating, but I’m so proud of you. You’ve come such a long way, and… I’ve truly never met someone as amazing as you.”

And by the time Will finished his little spiel, Nico was staring up at him with this glazed-eye look, raw emotion seeping into his features as they softened in the palm of his hands.

Will’s heart just about ruptured at that point.

As nice as it was staring into his boyfriend’s eyes, Will eventually had to move, seeing as the jab in his back began to throb the longer he leaned against it.

Nico shifted, too, and soon enough, they settled for lying flat on their backs. They still had to squish in tight to fit, but Will didn’t mind it that much- anytime he got to cuddle up with Nico was a good time.

And that’s how they stayed for a while, cuddled up together as they stared at the passing clouds before them.

Nico leaned into his embrace. “Thank you. For the date and everything.”

Will’s brows furrowed, and before he could stop himself, his mouth moved without thinking. “Date?”

Nico stilled, leaning away from Will and staring right up at him. He looked crestfallen. “Is it… not?”

“No!” Will winced. “I mean, not that I don’t want it to be a date! I really want to call it that, but this is supposed to give you a break from everything, and you told me one time that… that dates make you nervous. They make your stomach flutter and all…”

And with that, Will resigned to scratch at the back of his neck, suddenly realizing how embarrassingly sappy everything coming out of his mouth sounded.

The heat crawling up his neck also had him clamping his mouth shut.

Nico looked at him, an amused glint shining in his eyes. Instead of saying anything, he leaned back into Will’s arms, gingerly moving to place a hand on his abdomen.

“You always make my stomach flutter, Will.”

_vii._

Nico was mad at him.

It wasn’t a big thing, but _maybe_ Will messed up. _Maybe_ he said something dumb, and _maybe_ Nico was currently ignoring him.

It was kind of funny, watching Nico look at him with those furrowed brows and pouty lips. There would always be a glare thrown his way, and whenever Will tried to amend the conversation and accidentally say something stupid, the raised brow he received always made him coo.

But, he held all his amusement in. If so much as an _awe_ slipped out of his lips when Nico was annoyed with him, he was sure to get a skeleton or two called on him.

Still, the way Nico crossed his arms and resorted to calling him by his full name was oddly… cute and terrifying.

Austin peered into the infirmary’s office, his eyes flying towards Will before falling somewhere behind him. Will knew just what he was looking at- he knew Nico was sitting there, perched against the windowsill with an adorably cute glare pointed to the back of his head.

Will shot Austin a frown of his own when he grinned, even more so when he came up to Will and patted him on the back. “Are you sleeping in the doghouse tonight?”

Will glared. “Do you ever mind your own business?”

“Hey,” Austin shrugged. “I just came to tell you my shift is over. I see tension and I call it as it is.”

“Okay, goodbye.” Will waved him off, and when he was about to say something else, Will pointed to the door. Austin just rolled his eyes, and he swore he heard something along the lines of _don’t die_ as his brother finally stepped out into the calm, sleep-riddled infirmary.

Will had the night shift, and with the particularly violent lava wall competition earlier that day, he couldn’t just take a few very longed for naps in between long hours of staring at nothing but a piece of paper. He had patients to look after.

Nico didn’t.

They had a tiny disagreement just a few hours ago- something about the trogs and how horrible and distrustful they were, but Nico didn’t want to hear any of it.

This argument- _thankfully_ \- had not ended up like their first. While Will stated he would never agree with the trogs and their killer lifestyle, Nico claimed he was making a big deal out of nothing. That’s how this particular little tousles went, which ended in petty glares and adorable pouts.

At least, on Nico’s behalf.

Will wasn’t sure if it was to annoy him or because Nico just couldn’t get enough of him, but Nico hadn’t left his side ever since he started giving him those cute little pouts.

It was endearing at first, but now, it was time for Nico to sleep.

“Nico,” Will set his pencil down, turning around in his swivel chair and staring straight into Nico’s wide, beautiful eyes. “It’s getting late.”

Nico narrowed his eyes.

Will sighed. “I know you didn’t sleep well last night, so tonight’s sleep is especially important.”

“Hmph.”

And, in a move that would surely come back to bite him in the but, Will laughed.

A grumpy Nico was one of Will’s favorite Nico’s.

Granted- every Nico was Will’s favorite, but something about his _hmph_ ’s made his heart stutter and mind swoon.

Still, it looked like he was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

“You can sleep in the infirmary if you don’t want to go back to your cabin.” Will offered, a grin making its way onto his face. “You can even borrow some of my spare clothes, if you want.”

Slowly, a pretty red crept its way up Nico’s neck, painting his cheeks in the same vibrant red.

He couldn’t help but see how far that blush could go.

Will stood from his spot, slowly inching his way over to where Nico was currently sulking at. He was still over at the window, but this time, Nico sat just on the lip of the windowsill and avoided his gaze.

This obviously wouldn’t do, so Will planted his hands on either side of Nico’s thighs, effectively caging him between the window and subtly nudging his way between Nico’s legs.

He called upon his southern drawl- something he knew made Nico terribly flustered- and ran a finger down his heated cheek. Once it was by the underside of Nico’s jaw, he hooked it under Nico’s chin and fixed his gaze straight towards Will.

“C’mon, darlin’…” He leaned forward, ghosting his lips right over the shell of Nico’s ear. “You can’t stay mad at me.”

Will pulled away, a big, goofy grin spreading on his lips, and when he made eye contact with Nico, he could tell he officially broke Nico’s brain.

It took a moment, but when Nico finally remembered how to function, he huffed, shoving Will away with a playful smack to the chest. “My boyfriend is a complete dummy.”

Will froze. He was in the middle of conjuring up another flirty reply, but… his mind went absolutely blank at the words that just came out of Nico’s mouth.

Nico, however simply raised a brow. “I’ve called you a dummy before, dummy—"

“Boyfriend?” Will whispered, his eyes wide and searching for any trace of realization on Nico’s face- and it came quite quickly in the form of hot, red cheeks. While they have been in a relationship for nearly a year, he hardly ever heard Nico refer to him as his _boyfriend_.

Will was the one who had no problem being all lovey-dovey and romantic and open about their relationship, but Nico needed a bit more time when it came to that department. It never bothered Will, but to finally, _finally_ hear the word slip out of Nico’s lips was… unlike anything he’s ever felt before.

“You.. you called me your _boyfriend_.” Will smiled, a bubble of happy laughter brewing in his throat.

Nico bit his lip, lines of worry etching their way onto his forehead. “Is that… is that okay?”

Will nearly broke his neck with how quickly he nodded, but he couldn’t help it. He was just so _happy_.

“It’s more than okay, sweetheart.” He grinned, interlacing their fingers together. “But you still have to sleep.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but wormed his way out from under Will nonetheless. “Fine. But my boyfriend promised me some of his clothes, so I’m going to need those first.”

And with that, he walked right out of the office and straight in the direction of the locker room.

Will followed along, a giddy smile permanently settled on his lips.

_viii._

“You guys haven’t even _kissed_ yet?” Cecil pressed a hand to his mouth, but it was no use. His laughter rang out in the otherwise quiet, peaceful air.

Lou Ellen smacked him upside the head.

The three of them were on their way to the beach, planning on enjoying their day caked in sand and floating in the cool water, just like they started a few years ago.

It started when Will was ten and there was only a week before the summer session would begin. While they did hold a camp-wide beach day every year, two of his close friends, Lou Ellen and Cecil, had suggested they make one of their own.

So they did, and there they were, six years later and keeping up with the offhanded idea Lou Ellen had thrown around on one boring, uneventful day.

At that time, Lou Ellen stayed for the year. Just last year, her family had moved closer to New York, and while she did go from a year-round camper to a summer camper, she assured them she’d never miss their beach day for anything in the world.

And, while it was nice having the three of them back together again, Will really wished they _weren’t_. Will did love his friends, but sometimes, he wanted to shove them off a cliff.

“I think it’s sweet.” Lou Ellen grinned, drumming her fingers against the wide-brimmed hat on her head. “If you’re planning on doing something cute, save it for the anniversary.”

_Right_ , Will thought. The conversation was currently focused on his and Nico’s relationship- specifically the _one-year anniversary_ coming up.

“Might as well, right?” Cecil nudged him in the ribs. “I’m surprised you guys are that disgustingly in love and you haven’t even kissed.”

“It’s not like I don’t want to…” Will stupidly mumbled, a blush rising to his cheeks. This was probably the worst conversation they could have in public, making their way down to the beach. “We’re taking things slow. Nico… he’s got a lot on his plate. Especially right now. I don’t want to ruin anything.”

This time, they both shot him sympathetic smiles. It might have been nice, but Will couldn’t take them seriously with a thick glob of sunscreen smeared over their noses.

“How are things going with Papa, hm?” Lou Ellen changed the topic, though he wasn’t sure which one he liked better.

Will crinkled his nose. “ _Dad_ is… well, I don’t know how he is. I picked out some clothes for him on my last trip to town. They’re there, waiting in the cabin…”

“Clothes?” Lou Ellen raised a brow.

Cecil grinned. “You should have seen him when he first came to camp. He had to borrow some clothes that were _not_ suited for him.”

“I’m still not all that up to date on what’s going on with Apollo, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“Yeah, neither are we,” Will grumbled. “Haven’t heard from him since he left. I’m… worried.”

He didn’t say anything more as they neared the beach, nor as they set their things down. His thoughts were wandering, and they weren’t sprinkled with any happy hope…

“Alright, enough with the sulking.” Lou Ellen straightened up, placing her hands on her hips. She looked to Cecil, who shared a quick nod with her. “Tell us about Nico.”

Will had to laugh. They’d never been subtle about it, but whenever they wanted to cheer him up, they got him to talk about Nico. It was dumb, but… it’s probably what he needed at the moment.

And just like that, Will felt himself relaxing at the mere thought of his boyfriend. He ignored Cecil’s snickers, instead, moving to set out his own towel on the warm sand.

“He’s doing a lot better,” Will admitted. A smile gracing his lips. “I’m so proud of him. Yesterday, he ate one of those mini-muffins Connor gave him. The… The nightmares are still there, but overall, he’s sleeping better. We’re even making some progress on the whole shadow travel thing. The jumps still wear him out, but it's not as bad as before.”

“They went to a Cheez-Whiz factory in Venezuela.” Cecil leaned over, not-so-subtly whispering into Lou Ellen’s ear.

Will waved him off. “That was an accident, by the way. Oh, and the other day, he hung out with Austin and Kayla. I know it’s not much to anybody else, but this is a huge step for Nico. He’s been doing so good these past few days…”

And he must have had the look Kayla dubbed as his _I’m head over heels_ face, seeing as both Cecil and Lou Ellen were now just staring at him, matching grins spread on their lips.

“You were right, Cecil.” Lou Ellen nudged him. “He _has_ turned into a hopeless romantic.”

Will rolled his eyes. “I did have this whole thing planned out for our anniversary, but as far as I know, it’s not happening.”

He did deflate a little, but he held it back. This wasn’t the time to get gloomy over his dreams.

“Don’t worry, man.” Cecil patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll get your fairy tale anniversary date sooner or later.”

Will smiled. “Thanks.”

Lou Ellen giggled. “When is he coming over, by the way? I thought you invited him?”

“I did. He’ll come around later. Something about the sun being too high in the sky to enjoy being outside.”

Cecil nodded. “Speaking of that, let’s get in the water! I’m already sweating through my—”

“I don’t feel a thing.” Will cut him off, but nonetheless, moved to shrug off his shirt.

“Yeah, you’re a child of the sun god, William. We get it.” Lou Ellen unwrapped her coverup, throwing it off with her things. Then, she paused, turning over to Cecil. “Cecil, if you so much as touch me—”

Will turned his back on them for a second, but soon after there was a yelp, followed by a big splash. Cecil had managed to tackle Lou Ellen into the water for six years in a row.

Will rolled his eyes, but went to follow them in.

And, when Nico finally showed up, he immediately left with a glowing, beet-red face. Will kind of forgot swimwear in the 1920s was very different than it was now.

_ix._

“Sorry for traumatizing you, honey.” Will greeted, holding his arms out and waiting for Nico to fall into his embrace. It didn’t happen, but Nico did settle into the space beside him, his tiny frame melting right at Will’s side.

Will felt his cheeks heating up, recalling the way Nico had taken one look at him, Cecil, and Lou Ellen, and immediately turned around, fanning his face and embarrassingly mumbling a whole jumble of words in both English and Italian.

Truthfully, they wouldn’t have figure out what exactly was wrong if Nico hadn’t asked why they were all half-naked.

Will himself had been embarrassed by the realization, but Nico had been mortified. After some teasing from both Cecil and Lou Ellen, everyone had agreed to cover themselves up and spend some time making sandcastles.

Even if a good amount of time has passed since the incident, it looked like Nico hadn’t got over it. Instead of replying to Will’s _very_ sincere sorry, he just huffed, turned his gaze away, and crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault you decided to flash me.”

“First of all, that’s not what happened.” Will blushed. “Swimwear changed a lot over the decades. Men usually just wear shorts and women… have too many styles to tell you about, but Lou Ellen likes the high waisted two-pieces, which is what you saw yesterday.”

Nico grew silent for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. He could practically see the gears turning in Nico’s head, picture his eyes and the curiosity dancing in those pools of dark browns even if his head were tucked away under Will’s chin.

Suddenly, Nico pressed a hand to his sternum, tracing a gentle circle towards the left side of his chest, right where…

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” Nico mumbled, his breath tickling Will’s collarbone.

It made Will shiver.

“I did that for him, you know.” Valentina was suddenly behind them, her voice startling them from their little bubble of intimacy. “What? Did you two forget you were in public?”

Nico, who had jumped away from Will the very moment Valentina spoke, blushed.

Valentina smiled. “Hey, no worries. You guys are the cutest couple here- I’m sure no one minds the cutesy—”

“Val, what are you doing here?” Will interrupted, because as much as he wanted to talk about their relationship, he decided to be a nice boyfriend and spare Nico from the growing embarrassment.

Valentina, however, was not amused. “Well, for one thing, we’re in the amphitheater. I was just stopping by for the campfire, which is starting in five minutes, by the way.”

At Valentina’s grin, Will shot her an unamused look.

“On my way to a seat, I happen to overhear this conversation about your tat, and as the artist who gave you that beautiful blessing,” She punched him on the arm, “I couldn’t help but jump in. Make my talents known, and all.”

“The Aphrodite cabin runs an underground tattoo parlor,” Will explained, suppressing a little laugh at Nico’s confused, adorable look.

“For the right price, we do.” Valentina grinned, planting her hand right on her hip. “Well, I’m the only one running it right now, but if you ever need some cosmetic help, I’m your girl.”

Nico had quite a few expressions pass over his face, and Will thoroughly enjoyed listening to the questions slip from Nico’s mouth. Valentina answered each and every one of them with an amused smile on her face.

_So… he had to lie there while you constantly stabbed him with a little needle?_

_I’m not sure if you noticed, but your boyfriend is pretty hot. I wouldn’t mind slaving over a shirtless Will for hours on end._

After an eye roll from Will and a shy duck of the head from Nico, Valentina slipped away from them to join Miranda. Together, they started up the fire while gushing about how _adorable_ he and Nico were.

Soon enough, the flames started licking high in the air as more and more campers joined them. Everyone was in a pretty good mood, and Will himself was holding back the urge to wrap his arm around Nico’s shoulder, pull him close, and press a kiss to the top of his head.

He didn’t want to do something that made Nico uncomfortable.

To his surprise, Nico was the one who initiated what happened next. By this point, the amphitheater was completely full when Nico huffed, scooted closer, wrapped himself around Will’s arm, and nuzzled his cheek into Will’s shoulder as they stared off into the flames.

Will didn’t say anything, simply interlaced their fingers together as he bit back a wide, cheerful smile.

Austin started up the usual music, blowing into his sax as Kayla sang along. They tried to get him to join in, but Will held up his and Nico’s linked hands, muttering something about being busy.

However, he _was_ a child of Apollo. He couldn’t ignore the very gift his father had graced his children with, so about three songs later, Will joined in with Kayla and Austin’s little concert, plucking the guitar from the ground and strumming away to _I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa_.

It was the most carefree he’s felt in a _long_ while, which Will could imagine reflected outwards in his bright smile and wide eyes. Nico told him that happened whenever Will was in a good mood, and he even got the courage to do something he rarely did.

He sang.

It started with soft mutters, but once more and more voices joined in on the traditional campfire songs, Will let himself loose.

He rocked along with his siblings, grinning from ear-to-ear as the cheery mood among the campers grew with every passing word.

At some point, Will turned over to Nico, and what he saw made the blood rush to his head and thoughts turn absolute mush.

Nico was smiling. He was rocking along to the music and smiling that perfect, happy, and carefree smile of his…

Will wanted to just lean over and kiss those pretty lips, but…

_Now’s not the time,_ the little voice in his head insisted, and as much as he wanted to push his doubts away and just do it, Will settled for just staring at the sight, smiling when Nico met his eyes.

It was the first time Nico’s smiled since sensing Jason’s death, and _gods_ , Will _really_ missed that smile…

_x._

The first thing that popped into Will’s mind was _warmth_.

Sure, he ran naturally warm- _like a heater_ , Nico would say- but this was something different. This was something that stemmed from the small weight pressing down on the left side of his body.

Will slowly opened his eyes, staring at the gentle glow of stars stuck to the ceiling as they shimmered in the darkness.

Half of the time, Will found himself waking up in Cabin Thirteen. This wasn’t something new to him, but it always felt like the first time all over again…

Sure enough, when he looked down, he was met with Nico’s fluffy, dark head of hair.

Nico was resting on his chest, an arm strewn around Will’s midsection and legs tangled together with Will’s. The comforters were pulled up to Nico’s chin, his little puffs of breath the only thing making any sound in the dark, silent cabin. 

Will’s own arm was tucked beneath Nico, circled tightly around his waist and fingertips grazing the bare skin of Nico’s hip. It was all very domestic, and it made Will’s heart thump painfully strong in his chest.

Slowly, Will peeled his eyes away from the top of Nico’s head. He was just about ready for the day, even if the sun wasn’t fully up by then. That’s how it always went, and Will _really_ should get up, but…

He had an angel sleeping atop of him.

Nico was easier to wake these past few weeks, his previous heavy slumber reduced to a light, delicate thing. Any sudden movement or sound would startle Nico, and if it didn’t wake him, it would send him into a nightmare.

Will didn’t want to do that. He didn’t mind just staying in bed for however long it took Nico to wake up, and if he was being honest, he hoped it wasn’t soon for exactly two reasons.

One of them was because Nico was finally slipping into a semi-normal sleep schedule, and to wake him when he was deep in sleep is the last thing Will wanted to do.

The second reason was simply because… Will liked to cuddle.

Will sighed, running a hand through his own hair as he smiled up toward the ceiling. His thumb brushed against Nico’s protruding hip, unintentionally sending a shiver down his boyfriend’s body. 

_Boyfriend…_

Will was very, very, _very_ happy. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face even if he tried.

He could just imagine Nico waking up, blinking away the haze in his eyes and yawning his cute little kitten yawn. He’d stretch, rub the sleep out of his eyes, and smile at Will with that sleepy, beautiful smile of his.

He could get used to a view like that…

Will suddenly realized what just ran through his mind, and he could admit it wasn’t a thought he immediately flinched away from. In fact, Will found himself leaning towards the idea- picture after picture of waking up to Nico’s groggy smiles racing through his mind, all through various stages in their lives-

He was only sixteen, but it was all too easy to imagine a future with Nico. Will knew it should have at least been a bit intimidating, but…

It felt so _right_.

What he would give to live beyond his teen years, away from all the demi-god duties and responsibilities trusted upon them at an early age. To live life without worrying if they would face an early death at the hands of their parents’ problems. To see Nico so at peace and away from the very things that caused him so much pain and suffering.

To watch Nico grow into the happy, carefree person he was before his life was dragged through the mud. To see him smile like he did the night at the campfire, so beautiful and genuinely happy that it made the room light up and stars shine brighter.

Will couldn’t wait to grow up with Nico- to see where they could be in just five years from then. He liked to think they’d still be together, and maybe, just _maybe_ , he might be able to add another ring around Nico’s nimble fingers.

There really was no telling what the future would hold for them, but a guy could dream, couldn’t he?

Will grinned to himself, stroking his thumb down the curve of Nico’s hipbone. If this is what the future held for him- waking up next to Nico in _their_ bed, simply lazying around in _their_ home- well, Will definitely could get used to it.

For now, Will resigned to melt into the heavy black comforters, adjusting himself before pulling Nico into a tight embrace. This, too, was nice- lying flat on his back with his boyfriend in his arms with nothing on his mind but warmth, adoration, and utter devotion to the boy sleeping beside him.

With a tilt of his head, Will was able to get a perfect view of that morning’s sunrise from the cabin’s window.

Again, that could be them, enjoying the sunrise from their bed in maybe five, ten, twenty years from now…

He sighed, pressing a kiss to Nico’s temple.

“I love you, Nico.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to gush about everything in this fic:
> 
> I just thought the little detail of Nico being barefoot around camp in ToN was so cute! Personally, that would never be me, but it really shows how welcomed Nico feels at camp- welcome enough to do something one typically does at _home..._
> 
> The whole beach scene was definitely me indulging myself because... I think we all know why. Also, Nico hanging out with the Apollo kids and Will's friends just warms my heart, so there's a lot of that in this chapter! Sue me- I just think he's incredibly adored by the important people in Will's life!
> 
> Oh, don't even get me _started_ on the whole _first kiss_ thing. My imagination can jut picture it now- Nico and Will down in Tartarus, one thing leads to another, which turns into Nico getting quite upset as he starts yelling at Will, but Will isn't having any of it and jut cuts him off with a kiss. It'll be perfect and sweet and ahh I can't wait to read an official kis between them!
> 
> I also noticed that The Trials of Apollo takes place six months after BoO and ToN takes place six months after that- we don't know when Nico and Will got together, but I believe its nearing their one year anniversary! Truthfully, they'll probably spend it in Tartarus, if it really is so near, but Will is going to make the best of it because he is very romantic and nobody can tell me otherwise!
> 
> Alrighty, I'll just thank all of you right now for reading and leaving all those lovely comments in the previous chapter- you guys are amazing and I can't wait to share other things with you! Until next time!
> 
> (Sidenote: I have been watching WandaVision and whew, episode four had me shook! Highly recommend the show!)
> 
> _Posted: February 1, 2021._


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